After decades of being excoriated by animal rights activists, watching the commercial sealing industry dry up right in front of their eyes, while increasingly being forced on the defensive trying to protect a centuries-old way of life, a group of young, social media-savvy Inuit set out across the world to enlighten others about their culture and traditions while challenging several erroneous presumptions about the Arctic seal hunt.

That is the narrative behind award-winning Inuit director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2016 documentary Angry Inuk, which will be screened during the South Western International Film Festival (SWIFF) at Sarnia's Imperial Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 5.

A paean to the enduring spirit of the Inuit people, Angry Inuk provides an eye-opening look at the numerous popular misconceptions about the seal hunt, the enormous relative wealth and star power behind the anti-sealing movement and the gradual destruction of the Inuit economy and their culture, which has been caused by countries banning seal products.

Winner of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival's Audience Award, Angry Inuk deals with both the specifics of the seal hunt as well as broader issues affecting indigenous communities across Canada and around the world, said SWIFF executive director Ravi Srinivasan.

“The film is about the Inuit and the Inuit culture and their desperate need to preserve their way of life through the seal hunt,” he said. “It deals head-on with some of the arguments you often hear like 'why do you have to sustain the seal hunt' or 'why can't you just change your culture'? I mean, why are we even asking them to change their culture? It's like saying to someone who grows up in a white Anglo-saxon culture to stop going to church.”

“The film deals with a lot of other issues outside the seal hunt too, such as the long-term effect of residential schools and how their way of life was affected by that,” Srinivasan continued. “It's a really enlightening and fascinating look at these people.”

The documentary is unapologetically political and many film-goers will get the chance to see a perspective that they have likely never seen before, Srinivasan said, who said that he was sympathetic to the anti-sealing cause prior to viewing the film.

“I think one of the things that I realized before seeing the film was that I was someone who would advocate for a ban on the seal hunt, thinking that it is cruel,” he said. “But when you break it down, this is how these people sustain their way of life, sustain their culture. And the film breaks down information for you, the seal isn't anywhere near being endangered. It's one of those things where indigenous rights are being overlooked and ignored and we're telling them they can't make any money or sustain their culture.”

Describing Angry Inuk as a powerful, well-made and highly entertaining film, Srinivasan said that the documentary will undoubtedly change perceptions and will spark discussion both about the sealing industry as well as how societies view indigenous peoples.

“I think this movie is going to make a lot of animal activists re-think their position and have a bit more of an open mind about things,” he said. “When you're disrupting a certain cultural group's way of life and survival, you really have to question your own agenda. That's what I took from it.”

The documentary will definitely resonate with many in Lambton County, Srinivasan said, and the experience will not only be limited to simply the film. Aamjiwnaang First Nation Chief Joanne Rogers will speak prior to the film's screening at 4 p.m., and following the conclusion of the film, audiences will be able to ask questions to director Arnaquq-Baril direct from Nunavut via Skype.

“We're bringing the film here to open up dialogue,” he said. “It's attracted a lot of attention because there's a large indigenous community in the region. It's obviously hit home with a lot of people and we're hoping it has the same effect here.”

The film is one of a number of socially-conscious movies being screened during the week of the festival, Srinivasan said, which will include Moonlight, a film that looks at the African-American experience in Miami from the eyes of one boy-turned-man, and Girls Lost, a 2016 Swedish movie that explores gender identity. Srinivasan said that the films represent what SWIFF is all about – bringing the world's most compelling, unique and culturally diverse stories to Sarnia audiences.

“I think it's important to bring these kind of films from areas and from filmmakers that aren't around here to open up a different perspective and to show off different viewpoints,” he said.

Angry Inuk plays at Sarnia's Imperial Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and can be bought in advance by visiting www.imperialtheatre.net. For more information about Angry Inuk or any other films being screened during SWIFF, visit www.swiff.ca.